Massage Therapists In Trinbago Should Celebrate Ash Wednesday

A Cultural Phenomena - A Captive Market 

Ash Wednesday should be the beginning of the year for Massage Therapists in Trinidad and Tobago.  

There is no other time of the year when so many Trinbagonian are hurting from using muscles that were only used last year. 

Walking, chipping, jumping  and palancing penerates muscles and sinews and cartilages; they pain.

The muscles in my lower foot from the tip of my toes to my calves are mushy and painful.  Having quite a few contacts in the industry I felt that at least one would contact me and offer their services.  

What really hurts was when I had to call the person I had my last massage with, (I hate calling her my MT anymore) she did not call me. But I still made the appointment for this afternoon. Does that say anything to you? 

It was only after I made the appointment that I thought about what actually happened.  This is not how it was supposed to work. 

I had recommended to one MT last week that she take advantage of the captured market of weary masqueraders but I think she was more focused on masquerade.  

I suggested that she give a couple of the band owners she knew a small flyer offering each a free massage.  My idea was to offer a foot massage for about 10 minutes each. 

The person would have to make an appointment for the free massage and be qualified to receive it.  . 

The intention is to separate the people who are open to a massage from those who are not and to use the ten minutes to up sell them on a full body massage.  

There is nothing like having a captive audience where you can begin the consultative selling process. 

Everyone in the country who played Mas this year have aching feet today unless they played the Mas on a float.  

If you are a therapist without clients today you should certainly reconsider your marketing. 

If you are a client with aching feet, contact me and I will recommend a good Massage Therapist in your area. 

The number is 686-7396

Why Every Massage Therapist In Trinidad and Tobago Should Use Facebook

The #1 Reason Why Every Massage Therapist in Trinidad and Tobago Should Use FaceBook

Facebook has become synonymous with the Internet in Trinidad and Tobago.

In fact, when you put meaning to the statistic generated within Facebook the numbers tell an interesting story.

Here are some findings with interpretations.

As of March 2nd 2011 there are:

Exactly 403,860 people 13 to 64+years old registered on Facebook who actually live in Trinidad and Tobago. With a census population of just over 1.228,691 according to World Stats, it means that approximately a third of the population in T&T are registered on Facebook.

The total internet usage in Trinidad and Tobago is reported to be 485,000 representing 39.5 % of the total population now get online.


Eighty three percent of the people on the Internet in Trinidad and Tobago are registered on Facebook.

Compare the 33% of the total penetration on the Internet in T&T to the 77% penetration in the United States.

Would you imagine that there would be a greater percentage of people in the US registered on Facebook?

Not so, the US penetration is only 43% compared to T&T 83% Facebook penetration.

Facebook has penetrated the psyche of Trinbago culture almost as much as the Internet.

Here are some other interesting Facebook statistics on Trinidad and Tobago. Facebook calls this the "estimated reach", i.e. the number of people in a particular age group in Trinidad and Tobago that Facebook reaches:

• There are 218,040 people on FB who live in Trinidad and Tobago between the ages of 18 and 25 inclusive
• There are 275,740 people on FB who live in Trinidad and Tobago between the ages of 25 and 50 inclusive
• There are 36,000 people on FB who live in Trinidad and Tobago between the ages of 50 and 64 inclusive.

These are interesting statistics because now it can be concluded that Facebook has a reach, in the 18 year olds and above, of 529,780 Trinbagoians.

That is more than the Express (45K), Guardian (40K) and Newsday (40K) a total circulation of 125,000 daily. Facebook reaches five times as many Trinbagoians. .


What does all this mean to massage therapist in Trinidad and Tobago? It means that all these entities cannot ignore this social network. It means that they must find a way to leverage it to accomplish their missions. Facebook is not fading away.


Some of the early adopters will be the first to maximize the Facebook potential but many will continue to see it as just another social network. It is a social medium but it’s also a communication medium with the pre-requisite infrastructure to support any type of communication.

Users have the ability to use email, instant chatting and sharing information all within the network. It’s the ideal medium to maintain constant contact with any group, company, organization or a significant segment of the Trinidad and Tobago population.

Ignore it at your own peril.

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3 Most Effective Massage Therapies Available To Man

A Quick Lesson On Two Asian and One European Massages 

Thai Massage:  More energizing and rigorous than most classic forms of massage.  Thai massage is also called Thai yoga massage. I use my hands, knees, legs, and feet to move you into a series of yoga-like stretches. Many people say Thai massage is like doing yoga without any work. I also use muscle compression, joint mobilization, and acupressure during treatment. People describe Thai massage as both relaxing and energizing.

Shiatsu Massage: Performed on a mat on the floor. I will use my fingers and thumbs to apply pressure to specific points on your body's energy pathways, known as meridiens. I often use other techniques such as rocking, stretches and joint rotations. Shiatsu treatment is holistic, addressing the whole body rather than focusing on the one area where symptoms are most obvious. A shiatsu session usually lasts between 45 minutes and an hour.

Swedish Massage: I use massage oils to help get smooth, gliding strokes called effleurage. Other classic Swedish massage moves I use include kneading, friction, stretching and (sometimes) tapping. For more intense pressure you can get a deep tissue massage.  Swedish massage was pioneered by a Swedish physiologist, Henri Peter Ling, at the University of Stockholm in 1812. 

Free Massage Therapy Business Marketing Tips

MARKET YOUR MASSAGE THERAPY SERVICES ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET 

Let me help you market your Massage Therapy business.

I have been marketing online and off for over 12 years and although I will stop short of calling myself a guru, I do know a thing or two about marketing online and off.


Recently I assumed a challenge that I want to share with you.

A very good online friend, who I have never actually met face to face, but who I have known for over 4 years asked me to help her build her massage therapy business.

"No problem" I responded. "That's what I do".

Now you have to understand something, I met this young lady online and she was at the time attending a massage therapy school in the Philippines.  Occasionally, we would chat using yahoo IM and then Skype and we got to know each other pretty well.  I think the feeling was mutual.

So when she asked the question I was a little confused.

I have been advising her ever since she graduated from the school.  Just informal advice on what she should do.  Anyway, to cut a long story short, she immediately found employment with a salon and after she explained the conditions she was working under I advised her to become an independent mobile therapist.

It did not take much convincing.  Soon she was an independent massage therapist with a daily goal of 3 massage. In a day, she was making more pesos than a week at the salon.   Over the last 3 years the business just got better, she loved the independent lifestyle and success.

I coached her because she took my advice so readily I felt obligated to ensure she was successful.   We had long business discussions on marketing strategy, tactics and ways to build her business.  As we shared information she learned a lot about marketing and I about about the massage therapy business in the Philippines. Not that I thought that knowledge would be useful, I never intend to go to the Philippines to set up shop.

So that's why her request for help confused me a bit.  Then she told me.

"I want to move to work in Trinidad for a bit.  Life in the Philippines is a bit tough sometimes, I don't talk about it much but if i could leave here for a few months I think it would be great."

My response was "Hmmmm"  Speechless.

OK, OK, I'm a man and the thoughts do run around in any man's mind but you gotta understand my situation...   well lets say that this has to be strictly business.  

We are still working on that but in the meanwhile started thinking; why not set up and assist local therapist to market their businesses.  I started looking at the local massage therapy market and what I found was
wanting.

The massage therapy industry is monopolized by about 3 large businesses with what may be thousands of individuals who have had some training in becoming a massage therapist.

I found one school, located in Marabella that profess to be a "a private, not-profit, professional tertiary level institution, educating and training massage therapist "private, non-profit, professional tertiary level institution, educating and training massage therapists for top level careers in these professions".  The Massage School is run by a lady with the distinguished title of  "Madam Professor Pearl Gopaul". From the site it looks like that is the name of the school.


 That school has been responsible for training a number of locals in the art of massage.  The challenge however, is that once they leave the school they are expected to either find employment with one of the very few local establishments or open their own shops. 


Either way, therapist in Trinidad needs help.  


If you are reading this it is probably because you have some interest in the field.  If you are a massage therapist in Trinidad or in any part of the world, join me and get some fresh idea on how to market your business.  


Go to our optin page to get on the list so that you will not miss any of the post on this blog. Go Here


Or, you can check back occasionally to see what we have posted. 


Good luck in your business.  

Massage Therapy Bed In Trinidad and Tobago For Pain

The Thermal Massage Bed

The following article was printed in the Trinidad Newsday last year.  Just to insure that the contact information was still current I contacted the owner, Selman-Sookdar owner of the Migun Center.

She advised me that the business had moved to 16A Lucknow St. in St James and the new business number is 628-0901 and 705-2150.  Below is a video I found that gives you a look at the concept.  This is the same bed that is used in the Migun Center.  The technology is standard.

 

If you are interested in an alternative massage therapy session, contact her directly for an appointment.  The contents of the article follows:


Excerpt Newsday Article 

By VERDEL BISHOP Tuesday, May 18 2010

MASSAGE THERAPY can work wonders on a tired body and if it is done using Migun Thermal Massage Bed, it can only be described as pure magic.

That is the claim of Patricia Selman-Sookdar owner of the Migun Centre, in Woodbrook, who says she knows about the therapeutic wonders and benefits of thermal therapy, which she explained goes beyond providing chiropractic therapy.

Selman-Sookdar said the Migun Thermal Massage Bed places heat and pressure on the points in the body connected to certain organs. She added that thermal therapy is effective in treating strokes, ulcers and problems of the kidney, prostate, heart and liver.

“As anyone who has experienced the massage bed will tell you, the bed will cause all the tension in your muscles to disappear and reduce the amount of pain you feel by a great deal.   

Read the rest of the story here

Why does Americans rate massage as highly as medications?

After Reading This You Should Be Totally Convinced 

A new survey conducted by an independent research firm, this annual survey is the ninth commissioned by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA).

The result of the survey is another reason for the growth of the massage therapy industry globally, including here in Trinidad and Tobago.

The survey went on to state that "one out of five US adults got a therapeutic massage in the last year".

Here are some of the other survey findings. .

• 90 percent of Americans feel massage is good for a person's health.
  
• 93 percent agree with the statement that massage can be effective for pain relief.
  
• Use of massage in people age 65 and older has tripled from 4 percent in 1997 to 15 percent in 2005.
  
• 22 percent of Americans had a massage in the past year; 34 percent had a massage in the last five years.
  
• 73 percent of those who had a massage would recommend it to a person they know.
  
• 46 percent of respondents at some time had a massage to relieve pain.
  
• Among respondents who discussed massage with their health care provider, 57 percent said this health professional strongly recommended massage or encouraged them to get a massage.

It shows that one in five U.S. adults got a therapeutic massage in the last year. Three-fourths of them would recommend it to others — one reason for the body therapy's growing popularity.
If we used the above statistics as a window to the globe you will realize that if you have not had an massage as yet, you should be seriously considering making an appointment to get one soon.

Go here to read the entire article


If you live in Trinidad and Tobago go here to see how it can make a differentness in your life. .

How Does A Massage Affect Your Mind?

 Qualified Proof That Massages Are Mind Altering 

The story about my friend will continue but before we do, read this Massage News.

A recent study done by the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA, Calif concluded that massages can actually make a sick person better and improve a well person emotional disposition..

That's not breaking news to people in the industry but it does provide scientific proof that a massage does not only stimulate the muscles.

What they discovered is that massages can actually reduce aggressive behavior.

They tested the blood of subjects in the study before and after the massages.  Guess what they found?


Read more about it here. Massages

For a free report on other benefits of massages go to Massages In Trinidad & Tobago

Are There Any Good Massage Therapists in Trinidad and Tobago?

 My friend Jenny got into an accident the other day.  Well, it was not really an accident but I’ll say it was an accident so that I don't call her stupid.

When she told me the story it made me laugh.  I know he's going to read this so I will not share the details with you.

She had hurt her back and I could see that she was in a lot of pain so the laugh did not last long.

She explained that she visited the doctor who told her that she would have to let her back heal on its own while prescribing some pain pills.  

She was aware of the regenerative affects of massage therapy and since she had only recently returned from living many years in India, she wanted to know how to find a good therapist in Trinidad, preferably in Port of Spain.

She needed a proper massage, a deep tissue massage that penetrates and stimulates every fiber of her muscles.  She knew that this would cause the blood to circulate through the tissues that were so painful now relieving the tension she felt.

She had a plan too, she would take a couple pain pills before then have the massage done.  By the time the affects of the pain pills wore off she would be fine.  Sound like a good idea but she needed to find one soon.

Fortunately for her, I was thinking, I had the perfect Spa.  A massage therapist. I have known for quite awhile, I mentioned the name to her.  She ran a Day Spa in Port of Spain.

She stopped me suddenly when I mentioned the name, a mean look crossed her face.  I thought that she had a sharp pain in her back.  I was wrong..

She quickly explained that she happened to call that same Spa and the receptionist was so rude to her she  hung up.  She swore that if that was the only place she could go, she will continue the pain pill regimen. 

I bet my friend would like to hear that bit of news.

So how could she find a good therapist anywhere in Trinidad and Tobago?

I decided to help her.

The story of how we found one is interesting.  I will share that with you in my next 


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